Preparing Rhode Island to Lead the AI Economy

In this episode of AI Wave, host Chris Parisi passionately calls on all Rhode Islanders to take action and demand state leaders to establish an AI task force. Reflecting on his recent op-ed piece, Chris emphasizes the urgent need for Rhode Island to embrace AI technology and prepare for the transformative impact it will have on businesses and the economy.

Drawing on the state's historical role as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Chris highlights the unique opportunity for Rhode Island to lead in advancements that will shape the future. He shares examples of industries like manufacturing and tourism, explaining how AI adoption is crucial for their survival and competitiveness.

With a focus on equipping businesses, developing the workforce, and investing in AI startups, Chris outlines a comprehensive vision for Rhode Island's AI revolution. Join Chris as he rallies Rhode Islanders to unite, call on state representatives, and establish an AI task force that will position the state as a beacon of innovation and opportunity. Tune in to be part of this exciting journey towards a thriving AI-powered future.

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Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction: Welcome to AI Wave with host Chris Parisi
01:32 - Call to Action: Urgent need for Rhode Islanders to demand the establishment of an AI task force
03:15 - Rhode Island's Opportunity: Reflecting on the state's historical role in revolutions and the potential to lead in AI advancements
06:42 - Impact on Industries: Examples of how AI adoption is crucial for industries like manufacturing and tourism
09:58 - Equipping Businesses: The importance of businesses embracing AI and integrating it into their operations
12:20 - Workforce Development: Preparing the existing and future workforce for the AI economy
14:45 - Investing in AI Startups: Supporting and nurturing AI-driven startups for growth
16:55 - Improving Quality of Life: Leveraging AI to enhance the overall quality of life in Rhode Island
19:10 - Call to Action: Uniting Rhode Islanders to call on state representatives and establish an AI task force
21:30 - Conclusion: Join the AI Wave journey towards a thriving AI-powered future

Transcript

Chris [00:00:07]:

Hey there, folks. I'm your host Chris Parisi, and this is the AI. Wave, the only podcast that combines the world of AI with business and marketing and Rhode Island's role in the whole matter. For the first time in the podcast, we're going to speak directly to Rhode Islanders. If you joined us last week, you'll remember that I called on our state leaders to create an AI task force in an effort to get ahead of this revolution and be ready to take immediate action. Since then, we've taken a big step and sent out an official press release outlining the why, and I'll walk you through it. Here we can't take a wait and see approach on AI. It's here to stay.

Chris [00:00:39]:

And we'll quickly begin changing the way most industries operate. We need to take this AI movement seriously by prioritizing an urgent adoption of AI for survival, or we're going to see detrimental impacts to Rhode Island's businesses and economy. But more than that, why not become a leader? As the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, this is another once in a century opportunity for Rhode Island to lead in advancements that will change how we operate. Similar to the last time we were in this position, the makeup of our small corner of the country gave us an advantage. Back then, it was more geographical proximity to the ideal power source, right? The Blackstone River. Today, it's in a community that's small but influential enough to make a change. Rhode island has an enormous opportunity to set a precedent when it comes to how AI. Will affect business and economy.

Chris [00:01:30]:

We can't sleep on it. So here's how we're going to do it. First, we need to begin ensuring businesses are equipped to adopt AI. From small brick and mortar shops to large scaler employees, businesses should learn, invest in, and integrate AI into their operations. This podcast shares examples of how you can utilize them, and we'll continue to hear from other business leaders that have been adopting AI. We have some great episodes coming up. So to encourage this, Rhode Island could consider expanding current programs like Ri Commerce's Technical Assistance Program or Skills for Rhode Island's small business hub so that they can include AI adoption as a business service. In addition to equipping businesses, the state must collaborate with leaders in higher education and industry leaders to ensure that the state's pipeline can support and meet future workforce needs.

Chris [00:02:19]:

There is no question that some jobs will get replaced by AI, but there will be a new wave of new jobs created by AI. From prompt engineers to AI developers, we're going to see an opportunity for our state to excel its workforce with these emerging career pathways. This is a real opportunity for Rhode Island. We need to focus efforts on equipping our state schools and businesses for the future. For instance, working with the Department of labor and Training, we can utilize existed funding programs to ensure we're preparing the workforce for the new AI economy. And in addition to these new jobs, there will be new businesses in the AI economy. We need to invest in startups and growth sectors similar to Howard Island took the lead on impressive offshore wind energy. We can do the same for the AI industry.

Chris [00:03:06]:

We should reimagine our I 195 land development through this lens and provide resources to bolster young talent and entrepreneurs at our local colleges and universities. Then we need to make sure we keep our talent here as well as recruit new workers. Jobs are the key part of it, but so is advancing our quality of life. Remote work accelerated during the Pandemic. And this widely adopted work life option has proven technology can help smaller cities like Providence compete with bigger metro areas. We must continue to prioritize pathways to improve quality of life for work in Rhode Islanders, and that includes integrating AI. Let's keep investing in our infrastructure, reduce our tax burden, and revitalize our beautiful state to attract and retain talent. We are the ocean state.

Chris [00:03:55]:

With the creative capital, there's no better place to live. And by doubling down on the future, we will set ourselves up for success and to be the best. I am feeling hopeful, Rhode Island. So what can you do about it? Right. Well, first, learn the tools that are going to be prevalent in our everyday lives. What makes AI so transformative is that it will impact our day to day habits, our day to day activities, you name it, everything. So take the time to educate yourself and utilize the technology, or even start developing AI tools, or utilize the state's resources to start a business. Talk to your friends and family about this and get everyone riding this AI wave.

Chris [00:04:35]:

Also, demand your state representatives and leaders to do something about this now that we have to be proactive about it. And create an AI task force so we can mitigate the job loss while investing in our future. The new AI economy is here, and why not have Rhode Island become the beacon of hope and once again the birthplace of the next revolution? All right, so now that you're all fired up and ready to go and take on the world, you might ask yourself, where do I stop? I got you. Don't worry. So what we're going to do is go over each element in more detail to prepare you to become part of this AI revolution. Number one, the urgency of AI adoption. So I mentioned how urgent it is to businesses adopt AI. Let me give you an example.

Chris [00:05:18]:

Manufacturing. They've been shipping jobs overseas the past 50 years. We lost a ton here in America, and the battle was about cheap labor, but not anymore. It's about efficient production with the utilization of AI and automation. So in a state where manufacturing is a key sector, we need to ensure our companies here are utilizing AI or else jobs will be shipped at a higher tech manufacturing shops in the US. Or for instance, let's take another key sector like tourism and hospitality. This industry relies heavily on providing exceptional visitor experience. AI tech can enhance customer and service, optimize hotel bookings, room management, personalized tourist recommendations.

Chris [00:05:55]:

So if tourist businesses lag in this adoption, they may struggle to meet evolving customer expectations and they may not be interested in traveling to this beautiful ocean state. Number two training business on AI use this one's critical. I mean, small businesses make up 99% of businesses in Rhode Island, so we need to make sure they're educated and equipped to pivot. So, for instance, there's a technical assistance program by Ri Commerce providing free services to small businesses. Well, let's include AI adoption in those services to ensure businesses are able to adapt three workforce development for the AI economy. We need to train our existing workforce and also prepare the new workforce right that's in the schools that's graduating for this AI economy. Having a partnership with higher education to ensure courses and concentrations, focus on AI, develop AI competitions or hackathon events, and provide free online resources for anyone to start learning from home. And that leads us to investing in AI startups and growth.

Chris [00:06:59]:

Rhode island has a great foundation for our startup community, with organizations such as RiHub and Tech Hub centered around the CIC building. Let's establish AI incubators and accelerators, fund investments and grants, recruit investors and VCs, and collaborate with universities and research institutions. And we want to always improve quality of life. And one of the best reasons that Rhode Island can be this leader in this new age our state is beautiful. We have the best oceans, a creative capital city that is funky and fun and historic, and a range of places to live from So suburbia to rural lands. Also, it's much cheaper to live here than Boston New York City. So let's make Rhode Island that destination for anyone to come to have fun, live, work and grow a family here. Ultimately, the call to action to our state leaders is to create an AI task force.

Chris [00:07:53]:

This is the big request here and this is what I need. All of your support and I've spoken to state leaders already to prepare them for the need to act now because this task force, it can comprise of a diverse group of members, including government officials, industry leaders, academic experts, researchers and representatives from relevant sectors like think, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, education, you name it. And we should aim for inclusivity and diversity to ensure comprehensive perspectives and expertise. We want this task force to focus on policy development, active collaboration, and ensure workforce development is at the center of it and have a mix of immediate term and long term approach. If we do this together, Rhode Island, we have the special opportunity to be leaders in this AI revolution and ensure that we and our families not only survive, but thrive to become a beacon of hope. It's exciting. I'm like, we're not the number one state right now, but guess what? Transformative time leads to an opportunity to shift the norms. If we put our energy and focus towards this, we will be the number one state for decades to come.

Chris [00:08:55]:

Well, that's all I have for you today. Thank you for tuning into this week's episode of AI Wave. And don't forget to follow us on social media. Subscribe links are all in the captions. You know what to do. But most importantly, don't forget, we need to do this. Rhode island call on your state lead. Talk to your family and friends.

Chris [00:09:11]:

Make sure we create this AI task force to not only prepare us to survive this AI revolution, but to once again become a leader in the next revolution. Thank you.